Planning renewable energy systems as part of Cradle-to-Cradle thinking on islands

Carla Smink, Lixuan Hong, Søren Kerndrup, Karl Sperling, Bernd Möller

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Abstract

In a recently started EU Interreg IVB project ‘Cradle to Cradle Islands’, the
cradle-to-cradle concept is going to be applied to a number of islands in the
North Sea region, aiming at 100% renewable energy supply.

The transformation of island energy systems is a challenging task, although
islands such as Samsø in Denmark have shown the way. While technologies
exist and are readily available on the market to produce electricity and heat and
to provide mobility, the difficulties typically lie in creating the institutional,
economical and regulatory settings to make people and companies invest in
these technologies.

The specific challenge for islands is their dependence on energy supply from
the mainland. Also, on most islands there are competing land uses for
renewable energy from wind or biomass production. Areas are more sensitive
and tourism and nature conservation often prohibits the development of
renewable energies. Furthermore, islands often lack the economic capabilities
of large scale investments. Therefore the introduction of renewable energy
sources requires a careful planning process facilitated by social learning.
This paper describes how the Cradle to Cradle Islands project develops and
applies simple energy planning tools specific for each island, which are then
used to start discussions on the islands on the pros and cons of renewable
energy development, by providing information and real choices, and by starting
social learning processes.
Original languageEnglish
Publication dateMay 2010
Number of pages19
Publication statusPublished - May 2010
EventThe 5th Annual International Symposium on Environment - Athens, Greece
Duration: 20 May 201023 May 2010

Conference

ConferenceThe 5th Annual International Symposium on Environment
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityAthens
Period20/05/201023/05/2010

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